Why Are You Afraid of the Dark?
by songsweareplayingforyou
Summary: StevexDarcy/Angsty-Fluff, but mainly fluff. Individual summaries inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Why Are You Afraid of the Dark?  
><strong>Pairing<strong>: Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers (Captain America)  
><strong>Genre<strong>: Hurt-Comfort/Romance  
><strong>Rating<strong>: PG-13/ Teen  
><strong>Chapter(s)<strong>: 1/2  
><strong>Word Count<strong>: 1,762  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Darcy was really just thirsty, but when she found Steve in the kitchen with all the lights on hyperventilating, well thirst took a back seat for a bit.

.

Generally Darcy was a pretty deep sleeper. Nothing really woke up her up, and for the most part she was proud of that. Really the only thing that has ever managed to rouse her from her slumber was that stupid alarm clock that Jane got for her when she always woke up late and therefore was late to work, and being thirsty. Thirst never failed to wake her up. Most of the time she would drink some water before bed and she would wake up (rather reluctantly) at six-thirty to make some toast for herself and Jane.

However tonight, Darcy had so much trouble getting Jane to go back to her room and sleep, that she actually ended up finding Thor and convinced him to pick her up and carry her off. Darcy spent another hour after that entering data into the computer for Jane to read when she woke up in the morning. When she finally managed to get back to her room, all she did was throw on a Captain America t-shirt Tony got her for a gag gift and some leggings.

When Darcy woke up, she knew something was off. It took her a minute to realize that she was thirsty. Groaning, she glanced at the clock and found that it was two-thirty in the morning. She hadn't even been asleep for two hours. Walking numbly out of her room, she managed to get to the kitchen without causing so much trouble that she was cornered by superheroes. She didn't need that déjà vu.

Even with her foggy, sleep addled brain; she was able to tell something was wrong when she walked into the kitchen. All the lights were on. Normally she would have assumed that Tony or Bruce had come in sometime and forgot to turn off the lights. They did that sometimes during their science comas (when all they could think about it science). Since that began happening rather frequently, Pepper had installed automatic lighting. It only stayed on if someone was in the room. Curiously, Darcy surveyed the kitchen and found Steve with his hand pressing down on the island in the middle of the room. He was breathing heavily and shaking.

She stood there frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do. Sure, she and Steve were friends. Even though she had introduced him to The Princess Bride (he told her he was eternally grateful for that, too), Johnny Cash, and jeans, she wasn't sure if comforting him was something he would've liked. She heard somewhere that pretending that someone isn't hurting is just as kind as comfort. As she looked at the broken soldier in front of her, she doubted that applied to him. Before she could second guess herself, she walked up to him and hugged him.

He was frozen for a few seconds, and she wondered if she had done something wrong. However, before she pulled away, Steve wrapped his arms around her short, little frame. His cheek rested on her head and he sighed sadly. Slowly, she moved her hands up and down his back. This seemed to relive some of the tension that was so evident in his stiff form. His large hands were wrapped around her waist and he held her tighter, trying to keep himself from going into a full on panic attack that was coming. He had seen some of Tony's freak outs and although they were now few and far between, he didn't want to go through that.

Darcy seemed to sedate those feelings in him. She seemed to calm his racing heart and ease his aching heart. He felt her breathing through his thin night shirt he wore and how her small hands ran up and down his back. Warmth followed wherever she touched him. He felt her pulling away, and although he wanted to keep her little frame between his arms, he allowed her to move backwards. She didn't leave his grasp completely (which he was thankful for), but she moved back enough to reach her hands up and cup his face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

It was so soft he almost didn't hear it. This was a side of Darcy he had only seen once or twice. Once when Thor had to return to Asgard and Jane was spazzing out (her words, not his), and twice when Tony disappeared for three days and no one knew what happened to him. Pepper was almost in tears when no one could find him. However when Darcy talked to her, she calmed down considerably. Now here she was, trying to make him feel better. A warm feeling rose in his chest he closed his eyes, leaning into Darcy's hand.

"I really don't know."

Did he want to tell her that every time he turned off his lamp to go to sleep, he saw people trying to kill him in every corner? Did he want to tell her that every night each nightmare was worse than the last? Did he want to tell her that he was afraid of the dark? Of all people, he, Steve Rogers was afraid of the dark! It was childish at best. Part of him wanted to tell someone…her everything. Part of him wanted to be miserable in silence. Frankly, he wasn't sure which was worse.

"Okay, let me know when you are," she replied kindly. She kissed his cheek and left from his grasp.

He found himself wanted to feel the fabric of her shirt beneath his fingers again. He wanted to hear the slow thumping of her heart again. Although instead of leaving the kitchen as he thought she would, she walked around the island to the refrigerator. Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, she poured herself a glass of water. Walking back around towards him, she jumped on the island sipping her water. Her knee was touching his waist and he was acutely aware of how his skin tingled where she was touching him. He let his shoulders droop before taking a slowly breath.

"I'm scared." She waited for him to continue, but when he didn't she said,

"Okay, we all are at one point or another."

"Yeah, but I'm scared of something stupid," he amended.

"Like rushing water or kittens?" She asked nudging him slightly.

"The dark," he told her. "Or really what the dark brings."

"What does it bring for you?" She asked.

"Nightmares and blindness," he replied. She had scooted behind him by this point and was massaging his shoulders, trying to erase some of the tension.

"Well, I'm afraid that nightmares, as much as they suck, are just something we have to live with. Heck, it's been two years since New Mexico and I still have dreams about it. The blindness however, I can fix. Follow me," she told him.

She jumped off the counter and grabbed his hand. He followed her into her room and although he felt slightly uncomfortable, he went in. She walked over to one of the walls and pulled something out of the outlet. She handed it to him. It looked like a blue light bulb. It was a blue light bulb.

"What's this?" He asked confused.

"My mature alternative to a night light. Whenever I wake up in the middle of the night, I am so tired I forget to turn on my lamp. It helps a lot," she told me.

"Don't children use these?" He asked.

"Sure, but this is my mature night light. It has a blue bulb and isn't very bright. It is just bright enough to keep the blindness away," she told him. That warm feeling in his chest was back.

"Uh…where do I put it?" He asked her, embarrassed.

"Here, I'll help you," she told him. Grabbing his hand again, she walked with him to his room.

He led her inside and she walked over to his bed. Crouching beside it, she gestured for the "mature night light." He handed it to her and watched as she plugged it in. He couldn't help but notice her rear and her legs. They were gorgeous and he would be lying if he said he didn't notice that this girl in front of him was absolutely stunning. When she turned around he finally realized what shirt she was wearing. He couldn't help but laugh a little. She gave him a confused expression, but then realized what he was looking at she blushed.

"Oh, shut up," she grumbled. "There is a small switch under the bulb that you flip before you go to sleep."

"Thank you," he told her. When she seemed to shrug it off he grabbed her wrists and looked her in the eye. "I'm serious. I haven't slept in almost three days."

"Well, make sure it works tonight, and then you can thank me, okay?"

"Fair enough," he replied. Letting her go, reluctantly, he went to turn on the blue night light. She was right, the room wasn't as dark. He sat on the edge of his bed.

"You know you're supposed to lie down," she told him smiling.

"Yeah," he replied yawning. She pushed him back onto the bed and kissed his forehead. Although surprised by the contact, he smiled. "I feel like I'm being tucked in by my mother."

"I think I just got mom-zoned," she mumbled.

"What?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Never mind, I'll explain it later," she told him. "Goodnight."

Before she could walk off, Steve grabbed her hand. "Will you…uh…stay tonight, I mean…"

She thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. Walking around the foot of the bed, she tucked herself into Steve's bed. Never in a million years did she think that she would end up here. Although she would never admit this, she was touched that he wanted her to stay. She blushed just thinking about it. Looking over at him, she was able to see the profile of his face with the blue glow of the light. He suddenly turned towards her. Doing something that surprised both of them; Steve grabbed her and held her against his chest.

She had her head resting in the crook of his arm in a position where he wouldn't wake up with a numb arm. His arm circled around her and ended around her forearm. He found himself mindless stroking her skin with his thumb. She had one arm wrapped around his stomach and he smiled to himself in his sleep. He wouldn't mind doing this every night. Little did he know Darcy was thinking the same exact thing.

...

I posted this awhile ago, but I ended up taking it down. However, I love these two one-shots too much to not let people read them.  
>~songweareplayingforyou<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Why Are You Afraid of the Dark?  
><strong>Pairing<strong>: Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers (Captain America)  
><strong>Genre<strong>: Hurt-Comfort/Romance  
><strong>Rating<strong>: PG-13/ Teen  
><strong>Chapter(s)<strong>: 2/2  
><strong>Word Count<strong>: 1932  
><strong>Summary<strong>: The real reason Darcy needed that nightlight and how Steve got over his aversion to dancing.

Steve was always impressed with Darcy. She handled everything with a certain grace that Steve was certain he did not have. Somehow she found herself a liaison between The Avengers and everyone else. Her political science major came in handy a lot. She dealt with a lot of "grumpy middle-aged men who don't know the truth from a conspiracy website" (her words not his). Although she didn't always act like it, she was very eloquent when she talked. He knew that she rambled and had a short attention span, but only about things that didn't matter. He remembered hearing her talk a senator to tears.

"So you're saying that we should trust The Avengers? We don't know what they're going to do," he said.

"Sir, do you know what would've happened if The Avengers hadn't stopped the alien attack?"

"Of course! Our forces would've stopped them!"

"No offense to the United States Military, but I know they do not have the resources or capability to take down the giant flying serpent. So maybe you can delude yourself into a false sense of security, but the rest of the United States, heck, most of the world doesn't believe that. They believe we need the Avengers! Who are you to contradict the people you work for?" She said.

"Now see here Miss Lewis, I don't work-"

"You don't work for the people, Senator? I feel like the people who elected you might disagree."

"That isn't what I meant!"

"You're scared senator and that is understandable, but faith is something I feel that we could invest in this group of people. Many already have," she told him.

"I am not changing my mind."

"Well, think of it this way, Senator. If you are the reason the Avengers are disbanded, I guarantee that this is your last term."

"Are you threatening me, Miss Lewis?" The senator snarled.

"I'm only one vote senator. I'm just relaying the information I have gathered. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another appointment."

She hung up briefly after that and Steve felt his chest swell with pride. She didn't know he heard the conversation, because he didn't go and tackle her to the ground with hugs and passionate kisses (like he wanted to by the way). This was her victory. She would share it with him when she felt like it. She did so that night at dinner. They were eating with Clint, Banner, and Natasha when she brought it up. After they were alone is when he grabbed her small frame and gave her a passionate kiss.

"What was that for? Not like you really need a reason, of course."

"You're pretty impressive, Darcy Lewis," he said.

"Thanks," she said. Generally she would've responded with something on the lines of "I know I'm awesome." This time it just didn't seem appropriate. He was looking at her with such adoration and love that she could barely breathe.

Thinking about that memory made Steve smile. It was the first time he left her (relatively) speechless. Tomorrow was their six month anniversary. It was one in the morning and he was still awake thinking about the great morning date had planned. They each got a few hours of the day. He got the morning and she got the afternoon. Considering how much Darcy liked to talk, she hadn't said a word of what she was planning to anyone. He was impressed.

"Captain Rogers, Darcy Lewis seems to be having a night terror. She is screaming in her sleep," JARVIS said.

Without sparing a second thought Steve rushed to her room. JARVIS had already unlocked the door when he arrived. He ran to her side and found her flailing and crying out. Climbing up on the bed he gathered her in his arms and held her tightly against his chest. She woke up with a choked sob and he held her tighter.

When Darcy woke up and found herself encased in Steve's arms, she realized her dream wasn't real. She was so relieved she started crying. Not one of her finest moments. Steve had one arm holding the small of her back; the same hand was resting on her hip. His other was stroking her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his broad chest and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Just a stupid nightmare nothing to worry about," she replied melting into his body.

"It didn't look stupid," he said using his most commanding soldier voice. There was no arguing with that voice.

"I had a dream you died and I had to watch. Not a favorite pass time of mine."

"Darcy-"

"Steve, I'm fine and you're here. What more can I ask for?" She said firmly, but it was obvious that she wasn't.

"Stay here I have something for you. Since it is technically our six month anniversary," he told her.

"Okay," she said shaking her head, confused.

A few minutes later Steve came back in with a brown parcel in his hands. Even without her glasses, Darcy could see how nervous he was. Even though he was a superhero and defeated evil on a regular (well irregular, three o'clock in the morning evil villains can't really be considered regular) basis, she was still able to make him nervous. As silly as it sounds, it made her smile knowing that she had that power. He sat in front of her and handed her the heavy parcel.

Taking it in her hands, she untied the twine that surrounded the brown paper. When she had taken off the paper, she found a record player in her hands. Chuckling, she remembered showing Steve her old, battered one. Unfortunately it had broken a month prior, so she was saving up for a new one. This was the exact one she wanted. Frankly, she couldn't believe that he paid that much attention. She walked over to her dresser and sat the record player on the top, and plugged it in. She grabbed an old record that Steve liked to listen to and dropped the needle down.

"Dance with me," he said.

"What?" She asked, surprised. She knew Steve never really wanted to dance. Even though it made her a little jealous of Peggy, she understood the reasoning behind it and respected it.

"Dance with me," he replied grabbing her hands.

"But…I thought you didn't want to because—" she trailed off. He smiled and gently pecked her lips.

"Darcy Lewis, are you saying you don't want to dance with me?" Steve asked her. She laughed.

"Of course not," she replied. He grabbed one of her hands and put the other on her waist. She placed her free hand on his shoulder.

For a while they just swayed to the music. Eventually they moved so that Steve's hands rested on her hips (which he didn't mind in the least), and she was resting her head on his chest. For a few seconds his heart beat quickened and Darcy smiled to herself. It seemed like eternity that they held each other while the record played on in the background. She wasn't sure what prompted his change of heart on the dancing, if you could consider what they were doing dancing. She wasn't going to look a gifted horse in the mouth, though.

His fingers danced on her hips as he felt every delectable crevice of her body pressed against his. He avoided this for so long. Steve was afraid that he would forget about Peggy if he danced. Thinking about it, he realized that it was a stupid reason. A part of him would still love Peggy, she knew him before he was a dancing monkey/World War II hero. There would always be a part of him that remembered that. The girl he held in his arms however, didn't care how large his muscles were, or how tall he was. She would love him just the same. Even though neither of them had said those dangerous three words, he knew that they both felt it.

There were little ways that she showed him every day. He remembered on the anniversary of when he was frozen in ice, she spent the day out with. They went to see a Broadway show and then they spent a good portion of the afternoon in an art history museum. He knew Darcy didn't really enjoy art the way he did, but she tried her best to understand why Steve liked the paintings he did. He didn't even remember what that day signified until it was time for bed. Even then, they watched movies until they both fell asleep. The Princess Bride was a good distraction.

He looked down at Darcy and realized that she was shaking. He couldn't tell if she was cold or still shaken from the nightmare. The record had long turned off, but neither noticed. He removed his hands from her hips and moved them to her cheeks. He kissed her softly, trying to tell her all that he was feeling. His gratefulness for all she had done for him, the way his heart raced whenever she was near, and how beautiful she looked no matter what she was wearing. When she kissed back, Steve grinned. He wasn't sure how he got so lucky.

"Let's sit down," Darcy said yawning.

"As you wish," he murmured. She chuckled and fell back onto the bed. He held her against him and she said.

"Thank you for the record player."

"You're welcome," he said kissing her temple. "Can I ask you something?"

"Besides that?" She replied. She shifted in the bed, so that their legs tangled together and she was able to meet his eyes.

"Yes, Darcy a few months ago, when you gave me the mature night light…" he hesitated. "Why did you really need it?"

"The whole truth and nothing but the truth?" She asked not meeting his eyes.

"That is what I was hoping for," he replied. Pulling her closer, he put all the love and support he could into the embrace.

"I'm scared of the dark too," she mumbled into his shirt. "Ever since New Mexico, tasing Thor, the Destroyer, Sif and the Warriors Three it all comes back in dreams and twisted memories. As cool as Sif really is, she scared the crap out of me."

"And the night light?" He prodded.

"The nightlight told me that there is always a wisp of light to hold onto. As poetic as it may seem, it kept me grounded. Told me that the possibilities I come up with didn't happen. You must think I'm ridiculous," she said burying her face in his shirt.

"Yes you're ridiculous, but not for that. You're ridiculous because you're Darcy and you're just ridiculous enough to keep me normal and not some bigoted superhero," he told. "Promise me you'll stay the way you are."

"As you wish."

They fell asleep in each other's embrace. Not many people would understand the depths of the words "as you wish" but they knew. They had both told the other person that they loved them, in an eighties movie reference. Steve's smile didn't disappear for a few days after that, and Darcy's normal cheery demeanor intensified, if that was possible. Until the next nocturnal evil villain attack, everything was perfect. Even after the nocturnal villain attack, things were perfect. Steve had acquired a nice scar at his sternum that Darcy always ran her fingers over and kissed. He doubted she would ever realize how much of a turn-on that was.

...

Still in love with these two one-shots. They're probably some of the best I've written.  
>~songweareplayingforyou<p> 


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